1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a novel golf bag construction and methods of making and utilizing same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an economic golf bag construction which securely contains a set of clubs such that the club shafts and heads are prevented from contacting each other and which facilitates use of the clubs during a game.
2. Description of Relevant Art
There arc many known golf bags and many known attachments and inserts for golf bags which are adapted to protect golf clubs from being damaged through contact with other golf clubs in the bag. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,860,679, 5,094,345, 5,188,243 and 5,222,596 disclose holders which are adapted to be connected to a golf bag for holding golf clubs, and perhaps other golf items as well, in an organized manner within the golf bag. The holder of U.S. Pat. No. 2,860,679 is a rack consisting of a plurality of elongated tubes secured in a spaced relationship to each other by a pair of disks, and which is adapted to be mounted in a golf bag at an intermediate portion thereof so that a plurality of golf club shafts can be inserted into the tubes, respectively. Similarly, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,243 is a rack consisting of a plurality of tubes disposed in a spaced relationship to each other by a plurality of disks, although this holder is adapted to be either inserted in a golf bag or used independently of a golf bag. While each of these devices are effective for their intended purpose, golf clubs held thereby are still subjected to being damaged by contact with other clubs because the clubs are free to rotate within the tubes so that the club heads continually contact each other when the holder is being used. The holder disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,596 includes an upper retainer portion adapted to releasably secure the shafts of a plurality of golf clubs and a base portion with grooves for receiving the grips of a plurality of golf clubs. Although this holder somewhat better restrains movement of the golf clubs while the holder is being used in comparison to the holders discussed above, but the clubs are still permitted to rotate when secured by this holder so that they may still come into damaging contact with each other.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,345 is an organizing device which is adapted to be secured to the upper end of a golf bag for separately securing the heads of numerous golf irons and golf woods in isolation from each other so as to prevent the golf club heads from being damaged by contact with other heads. The organizing device also includes space for separately storing golf balls, golf tees, scorecards and pencils. Although this organizing device desirably prevents the heads of numerous golf clubs from coming into damaging contact with each other, the device is rather large and bulky, it does not prevent the shafts of the golf clubs from coming into damaging contact with each other, and makes it inconvenient to remove any given golf club from the golf bag for use during a round of play.
Further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,918,447 and 5,062,528 disclose known golf bag structures which integrally include devices for securing and storing golf clubs in an organized manner within the golf bag. U.S. Pat. No. 1,918,447 discloses a telescopic golf bag structure having a perforated disk near an upper end thereof for receiving the shafts of clubs therethrough such that the clubs can be disposed within the bag in an organized manner, while a lower section of the bag may be telescopically moved relative to an upper section of the bag between a contracted position in which the golf club heads project outwardly through an upper opening of the bag and an expanded position in which the club heads are disposed below the upper opening of the bag so that a cover may be fitted on the upper opening for enclosing the clubs within the bag. The golf bag of U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,528 includes an organizing disk disposed over an upper end thereof and including a number of openings disposed in a regular matrix pattern for receiving the shafts of a number of golf clubs. Again, both of these known golf bags are disadvantageous because the golf clubs as supported therein are still free to rotate within the bag so that the club heads and shafts may come into damaging contact with each other.
The present invention has been developed to provide a golf bag structure which overcomes the problems and disadvantages of known golf club holders used with or as part of a golf bag, and to generally fulfill a need in the art for a golf bag structure which provides a high degree of protection for golf clubs within a golf bag, permits efficient utilization of entire space within the golf bag, and yet is economic to manufacture and convenient to use.